Action Centres UK - About Action Centres UK

Action Centres UK is the wholly owned operating company of the registered charity, Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs (NAYC). Established in 1961 by the late Rev Harry Whittaker MBE, NAYC has extended its influence and involvement far beyond the county boundaries of Northamptonshire.

Operating upon a foundation of Christian principles and offering service regardless of race, religion or creed, NAYC has over 45 years experience in providing people with opportunities.

Action Centres UK has developed some of the finest residential and activity facilities of any youth association, with its modern Conference Centres, wide ranging and wonderfully equipped Activity Centres together catering for well over a hundred thousand people every year. The highly motivated management team includes the HQ staff, the managers of all the varied projects, highly skilled instructors, dedicated hospitality teams, volunteers and a host of others involved in the every day activities of all the Centres.

We are most excited by the special connection our instructors make with the young people we serve at our Centres each year. The instructors fully appreciate not only their safety responsibilities but also their duty to the psychological development of the young people in their charge. They therefore seek to be good role models and lead their lives, both on and off duty, as good examples to the young people who inevitably end up holding them in high esteem.

10 years ago Action Centres UK was attracting something like 30,000 people a year. That figure has now grown to in excess of 100,000 a year. That measure of success speaks for itself!

But there is a further ingredient that has made the Association so successful. By providing facilities of a high standard, they have not only been able to attract school parties almost year-round, but also been able to attract a large number of organisations to use the centres for conferences, training courses, house parties and the like. The net result has been that all the Action Centres UK facilities are now in constant use for at least eleven months of the year. There is an added bonus. They can also, if they so wish, make use of all the activities provided on site for relaxation or as a development tool for their programme.

User groups include:

Activity Programmes

Our whole approach to groups is based on the relationship that the Association has with its affiliated clubs. We do not seek to take over groups and run their programmes fully, as do many Centres. We provide a whole range of possibilities and work together with the group leader, before arrival, to plan a programme to suit their groups' needs. Sometimes we do run the whole programme for a group, but for others the degree of involvement varies enormously.

Aims & Objectives for Adventure Groups

There is no doubt that, at the present time, the idea of an adventure course is very popular with many people young and old.

But, exactly what are their expectations? We consulted a group of youth leaders and they produced the following list:

• Adventure:
  The challenge of combat with the forces of nature.
• Fun:
  Real fulfilment and enjoyment, sharing an activity with others in which everyone can participate.
• Change:
  Living in a completely different setting and environment from normal, with a different routine.
• Friendship:
  To share at a deeper level of human contact, and common appreciation of aesthetic and spiritual values.
• Relaxation:
  Feeling comfortable and at home, at peace with oneself and with God.

We then asked a group of young people what they would add. They said:

• Economy
  (Very practical!) Good value, with, if possible, package arrangements to include meals and activities.
• Full Programme
  Something to be available all the time to make the most of the time and not get bored.
• Something new
  A completely new, interesting and exciting experience. Exhilarating.
• Challenge
  To be faced with something they thought was beyond their ability and to overcome it.
• Getting away
  To be free from parents and restrictions of home, to learn to be themselves.
• Indoor activity
  Plenty of good indoor games etc., in case of bad weather.

Turning back to the youth leaders, we asked about their expectations in bringing groups away.

Their replies:

• Relationships
  To develop interrelationships in the group. For the group to learn to work together by seeing each other in a new light through new experiences.
• Wider horizons
  To broaden the outlook of the group by enjoying new experiences. To learn that there is more to life than that with which they are familiar.
• Achievement
  To give the young people a sense of achievement by succeeding in something new and challenging.
• Awareness of nature
  To gain an appreciation of the wonder and awesomeness of nature and their place in it.
• An experience to remember
  Many children need a loving, caring environment in which they can feel secure. This and other happy memories can be very important in their development.
• Getting to know them
  Youth leaders often feel they don't really get to know their members week by week on a club night, but the residential experience can be a great help.

We try to keep all these needs in constant view as we plan our facilities and programmes.

We consider the following to be our six critical success factors in achieving our objectives. (Not in order)

• High standard of food - Attractive and satisfying.
• High standard of equipment and instruction.
• Happy relationships between staff and young people.
• Clean, well maintained buildings, furnishings and grounds.
• An atmosphere of love, peace and harmony.
• Efficient and well-run organisation.

The Spiritual Factor.

Sometimes we are asked how we tackle the Spiritual dimension without taking advantage of our position of trust. Our staff teams seek to live together in such a way that it is just a natural part of our lives. We never talk about our faith unless we have the permission of the leaders and teachers. Usually, they are happy for us to do so and this normally takes the form of a song or drama sketch at a social event or campfire.